ectomorph

English

Etymology

Derived from ectoderm +‎ -morph from William Herbert Sheldon. Equivalent to ecto- +‎ -morph.

Pronunciation

  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈɛktəʊmɔːf/
  • (US) IPA(key): /ˈɛktoʊmɔːɹf/, /ˈɛktəmɔːɹf/
  • Audio (US):(file)

Noun

ectomorph (plural ectomorphs)

  1. Someone with a lean, only slightly muscular body
    • 1990, Robert Klitgaard, Tropical Gangsters: One Man's Experience with Development and Decadence in Deepest Africa:
      Also there was a woman I hadn't met, a chain-smoking French ectomorph whose job it was to make sense of records of public spending in the Ministry of Finance.
  2. (bodybuilding): Theoretical body type in which a person has a high metabolism. Such a person can easily maintain a low fat physique, but does not add muscle or body weight easily.
    • 2025 February 6, Laura Schober, “Everything To Know About Having an Ectomorph Body Type”, in Health‎[1], archived from the original on 30 June 2025:
      The ectomorph body type is characterized by narrow shoulders and hips and a lean build. Its naturally fast metabolism makes it easy for ectomorphs to lose or maintain body fat levels but more difficult to build muscle.
An ectomorphic body

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

someone with a lean body

See also

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